Quintin Peterson PSWA writing competition award winner

The Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA) held its annual conference at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada from June 18-21, 2009. The annual conference is open to anyone writing crime and mystery fiction or non-fiction, technical writing for public safety magazines in print or online, or anyone interested in writing. On Sunday, June 21st, the winners of PSWA’s 2009 Writing Competition were announced at an award luncheon.

Crime fiction author Quintin Peterson, who has been a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC for almost 28 years, took 2nd Place in the Short-Story Published category for A Dark Place, the story of a serial killer and the D.C. homicide detective tasked to track him down. It is available exclusively from Amazon.com as an Amazon Short.

Quintin Peterson has been writing crime fiction for a number of years. He is the author of two novels, SIN and The Wages of SIN, and several short stories, one of which, Cold as Ice, is featured in the George Pelecanos edited crime fiction anthology, D.C. Noir. He is also a contributor to the anthology, Bad Cop, No Donut, edited John L. French, which is scheduled to be published in 2010.

When his award-winning A Dark Place was first published in November of 2006, many contemporary crime writers praised Peterson’s work.
“Quintin Peterson, a working police officer and natural born writer, pens crime fiction that is earned and alive.”
– George Pelecanos, author of THE NIGHT GARDENER and DRAMA CITY
"Quintin Peterson writes with authenticity and honesty won from years of being a street cop, and in his chilling A Dark Place, he takes readers past the boring CSI or 'profiling' of a serial killer to show us the heart and soul of the badges who bring such monsters to justice."
– James Grady, author of MAD DOGS and SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR
“Quintin Peterson takes his readers into the dark places that only cops are compelled to enter. Then he shows them how such terrible access darkens the souls of those who enter too often. This dark, and well detailed, story is so real and so believable that it becomes a trip you won't soon forget.”
– Retired NYPD Lt. Ed Dee, author of THE CON MAN’S DAUGHTER and LITTLE BOY BLUE
“You want to know how it's done? Read Quintin Peterson's A DARK PLACE. Of all the crime writers out there, he's the one wearing the badge. He writes with a sure hand and is certain to please. Sit back and get chilled....”
– Ridley Pearson, author of CUT AND RUN and THE BODY OF DAVID HAYES
"A Dark Place is a chilling, expertly crafted thriller."
– Jim Patton, author of THE SHAKE and DYING FOR DANA
“With a serial killer who'll make your skin crawl, and a REAL inside look at how cops work by this talented Washington, D.C. cop/novelist, 'A Dark Place' is the latest from Quintin Peterson's fertile, rooted-in-reality mind. He's the real deal.”

– Donald Bain, author of the MURDER, SHE WROTE mystery series, his memoir Murder HE Wrote: A Successful Writer's Life, and the Amazon Shorts selection, Ronnie and Me

All winners of the various categories of the PSWA writing competition receive plaques or certificates and publicity and recognition via a wide variety of public safety-related publications.

Founded in 1997 as the Police Writers Club, the PSWA is open to both new and experienced, published and not yet published writers. Members include police officers, civilian police personnel, firefighters, fire support personnel, emergency personnel, security personnel and others in the public safety field. Also represented are those who write about public safety including mystery writers, magazine writers, journalists and those who are simply interested in the genre. The association also welcomes publishers, editors, agents and others who help writers realize their writing goals.

More Information
http://www.police-writers.com/peterson.html